Clarifying apparatus.



F. M. HARSHBERGER.

GLARIFYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION IILEDDEO. 10, 1910.

Patented July 29, 19-13.

2 sums-sum:

FRANK M. IIARSHBERGER, 0]? LEAD CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA.

CLARIFYING APPARATUS.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed December 10, 1910.

PatentedJuly 29, 1913.

Serial No. 596,657.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HARsH- BERGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lead City, in the county of Lawrence and State of SouthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ClarifyingApparatus, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to clarifying apparatus and is especially adaptedfor removing sediment from water or other liquids.

It is often desirable to remove sand, silt and the like from largequantities of water in, an economical and efficient manner so that thewater which passes through a clarifying apparatus may be used forpurposes which require pure water. This is. particularly true in'connection with mining operations where large quantities oflwater areused and a considerable saving is effected if the same water can be usedmany times over.

In order to carry out my invention, in a preferred embodiment of thesame I employ a large receptacle as a clarifying basin which is dividedinto a plurality of compartments. The water to be clarified isintroduced to the various compartments of this basin'in such manner thatthe sediment is equally distributed between the various compartments.This result is preferably attained by means of a rotating device havinga plurality of nozzles through which the water to be clarified passes.Each of these nozzles travels over all of the compartments. The silt orother sediment in the water sinks to the bottom ofthe basin whilethewater itself over-flows from the basin thereby effecting a process ofdecantation. The sediment may be washed out of the various compartmentsof the settling basin by introducing water into the latter which servesto carry the sediment through an outlet gate which is opened when thesediment is to be thus removed. As will be described in detailhereafter, each compartment of the settling basin is constructed withchannels and baffle plates so that the sediment is completely andreadily washed through this outlet gate. These and other advantages ofmy invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings which represent a preferred embodiment of myimprovements and in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the settling basin, the water distributingmechanism be ing removed for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the basin shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectiontaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken onthe line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig.1, and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan and partly horizontal sectionalView showing the clarifying basin, the water distributing mechanism andthe piping by which the water used for purposes of flushin isintroduced.

The clarifying basin, whidh is preferably constructed of concrete,consists of a plurality of compartments 10, 11, 12 and 13. I haverepresented the number of such compartments as being four, which is aconvenient number, but I do not restrict myself to this particularnumber inasmuch as any other number may be readily employed.

Each of the compartments 10, 11, 12, and 13 has a curved outer Wall 14and the partition walls 15 which extend from the points of junction ofthe outer walls 14 to the center of the clarifying basin. The centralportion 16 of the basin is at a lower level than the upper edges of theouter walls 14 and the partitions 15 slope downwardly to this cen tralportion. The bottom 17 of each chamber slopes downwardly and outwardlytoward the wall 14. Just inside of each of the outer Walls 14 is formeda channel or conduit 18 which connects at its ends with the conduits 19leading toward the center of the basin. Each compartment is alsoprovided with parallel baflie plates 20. The bottom of each compartmentslopes inwardly toward its central line 21 as is clearly shown inFig. 1. The baflie plates 20 are interrupted along the central line ofeach chamber. An outlet gate 22 located on the outside of each wall 14,communicates with each. of the chambers 10, 11, 12 and 13 at the outerend of its central line.

As shown in Fig. 7 the rotatable disk 23 is located at the center of thebasin and through this disk passes a pipe 24 in communication with pipe25 through which water may be supplied as will be explained hereafter.

Mounted on the rotatable disk 23, in communication with pipe 24, are thepipes 26 of various lengths. The end of each of these pipes is curvedlaterally as shown at 27. It will be evident that as water flowsoutwardly fro-m the pipe 24 through the pipes 26, the curved end ornozzle 27 of each pipe will, by the action of the out-flowing water,cause the disk 23 to be rotated so that each of the nozzles 27 will passover each of the chambers or compartments 10, 11, 12 and 13.

The water which is supplied to pipe 25 goes through a sluice way 28which is separated from a second sluice way 29 by the vertical wall 30.The sluice ways 28 and 29 are supplied with water under a headsufficient to carry the same to the basin as will presently beexplained. The pipes 31, 32, 33 and 34 communicate with the sluice way29 in which the gates 35, 36 and 37 are placed so that the water may bedeflected into one or more of said pipes; for example, when the gatesare in position shown in full lines, water is supplied to all of thefour pipes 31, 32, 33 and 34, whereas, if these gates are moved to thepositions shown in dotted lines, all the water will flow into pipe 33.The gates 38 and 39 are provided in connection with the sluice ways 28and 29 respectively and are operated in any well known manner so thatwhile water is being supplied to the sluice way 28, it is cut off fromsluice way 29 and vice versa. These radial or diverging partitions 15constitute also baifles tending to prevent lateral disturbance of thesediment-containing water as it is fed into the basin, and also influshing.

In each of the channels or conduits 18, is placed a wedge shapedseparator 40 located above the central line 21 of each of saidcompartments. The four pipes 31, 32, 33 and 34 terminate directly abovethe separators 40 associated with each of the above mentionedcompartments. It will thus be apparent that when water flows through anyone or more of the pipes 31, 32, 33 and 34, on striking the separator40, the stream from each pipe will be divided and flow in oppositedirections through the channel 18.

Having thus described the construction of my improved apparatus, itsoperation may now be readily understood. The gate 39 be ing lowered andthe gate 38 raised, water will flow from sluice way 28 through the pipe25 into the pipe 24 and then outwardly through pipes 26, the curved ends2'? of which cause disk 23 to be rotated. The

water flowing from any given pipe is thereby distributed to thedifferent compartments and the sediment in the water gradually settlesto the bottom of these compartments. The different lengths of the pipes26 cause such sediment to be well distributed through each ,compartment.The water gradually rises in the clarifying basin and finally overflowsthe upper edges of the walls 14 and a process of clecantation thus takesplace, all of the sediment remaining in the clarifying basin. The wateroverflowing from the basin may be collected in a suitable sluice way andthis purified water may then be used for any desired purpose. After aconsiderable amount of sediment has collected in the clarifying basinand it is desired to wash out the latter, the gate 38 is lowered and thegate 39 raised. The main supply of water going through pipe 25 isthereby interrupted and water flows through the pipes 31, 32, 33 and 34or any desired number of same. This water, as explained before, flowsthrough the channels 18 and overflows the edges of said channels at thehighest point to which the sediment has accumulated. This causes thewater to be deflected into the main portion of the chamber which is tobe cleaned and the sediment is washed toward the central line 21 of saidchamber and the gate 22 having been opened, the sediment is carriedoutwardly through the outlet normally closed by said gate. As thesediment continues to be washed out, the water flowing through channel18 gradually works farther back carrying into the central line of thechamber sediment which is located nearer to the center of the clarifyingbasin. The baflle plates 20 serve to direct the water which is thusemployed and to prevent the formation of eddies or pockets from whichthe sediment would not be removed. After the clarifying basin has beenthoroughly washed and cleaned out, the gate 29 is lowered, the gate 22closed and the normal clarifying action takes place as above described.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that many changes can bemade in the detailed construction of the parts which I have describedwithout depart-ing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

That I claim is 1. A clarifying apparatus, comprising a settling basinhaving a closable outlet therefrom, a substantially V-shaped bottomsloping toward said outlet, a channel within said basin and sloping inthe opposite direction from the bottom of the same, means forintroducing a liquid into said basin whereby the sediment contained insaid liquid will settle to the bottom of the basin and the purifiedliquid will overflow therefrom, and means for introducing into saidchannel a flushing liquid whereby the seditions of said channel slopingin opposite directions, a separator in said channel, and means forintroducing a flushing liquid into said channel at the point of locationof said separator whereby the liquid is divided and flows through saidchannel in opposite directions, substantially as described.

3. In a clarifying apparatus, the combination of a settling basin havinga sloping bottom and an outlet at substantially its lowest point, saidbasin having a rim adapted to permit clarified water to overflow thesame, a flushing channel within said basin and sloping in the oppositedirection from the bottom thereof, means for introducing asediment-containing liquid into said basin, and means for flushingsediment through said outlet when the same is opened, substantially asdescribed.

4L. In a clarifying apparatus, the combination of a settling basinhaving an outwardly sloping bottom and a rim adapted to permit clarifiedwater to overflow therefrom, an inwardly sloping flushing channel within said basin, a plurality of baffle plates extending partially acrosssaid basin, means for introducing a sediment-containing liquid into saidbasin, and means for introducing a flushing liquid into said channel,substantially as described.

5. In a clarifying apparatus, the combination of a settling basin havinga rim adapted to permit clarified water to overflow therefrom, aplurality of substantially radial bafiies forming compartments in saidbasin, each compartment having a sloping bottom and an outlet adapted tobe opened and closed, means for substantially equally distributing asediment-containing liquid into said compartments, and means fordelivering a flushing liquid into said channels and basin, substantiallyas described.

6. In a clarifying apparatus, the combination of a settling basin havingsubstantially radial battle plates dividing said basin substantiallyinto compartments, each of said compartments having an outwardly slopingbottom, said baflies formed to provide channels from the rim portion ofsaid basin toward the center thereof, substantially as described.

7 In a clarifying apparatus, the combinati on of a settling basin havinga rim adapted to permit clarified water to overflow therefrom, thecentral portion of the bottom of said basin being higher than the outerportions thereof, a plurality of battles diverging from the centralportion of said basin to ward the rim portion thereof, said bafiies alsoconstituting channels adapted to convey flushing water, means fordistributing water substantially uniformly between said baffles, and aplurality of outlets for discharging water from said basin,substantially as described.

8. In a clarifyingapparatus, the combination of a settling basin havingan overflow rim and substantially radial baffles dividing said basinsubstantially into compartments, said battles formed to constituteinwardly sloping channels, the bottom of said basin sloping from thecentral portion outwardly, and rotatable means for distributing watersubstantially equally into said compartments, substantially asdescribed.

FRANK M. HARSHBERGER.

Witnesses:

,HENRY M. HUXLEY,

D. M. Form.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

